After a divorce a woman travels for a year to seek pleasure, devotion, and balance.

A Moveable Feast (1964)

American writer's expatriate circle of friends in 1920s Paris.

Flashbacks (1983)

Life of 1960s counterculture figure who advised people to 'tune in, turn on, and drop out.'

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream (1971)

Gonzo journalist gives a somewhat fictionalized account of two drug-fueled trips he and his friend/attorney took to Las Vegas.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir (2005)

Journalist describes her unconventional dysfunctional upbringing, including the experience as an adult of seeing her homeless mother dumpster diving.

The Downing Street Years (1993)

British Conservative Prime Minister nicknamed 'the Iron Lady.'

Roughing It in the Bush (1852)

British woman describes being a settler in Upper Canada.

The Diary of a Young Girl (1947, 1953 in English)

Diary kept by Jewish girl in hiding in an attic in Holland during WWII.

Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America (1994)

Young woman's frequent bouts with severe depression.

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (2001)

Childhood of a famous neurologist/author, titled after an uncle's nickname.

Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter (1958)

First volume of autobiography by French feminist philosopher.

Infidel / Mihn Vrihjeid (2006, 2007 in English)

After growing up in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, the writer flees upcoming arranged marriage, applying for political asylum in Netherlands, where she becomes outspoken, politically active, and has received death threats.

It's Always Something (1989)

SNL alumni shares her life and battle with ovarian cancer.

Moab is My Washpot (1997)

British comedian/actor/writer describes his first 20 years, including being at boarding school.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (2007)

First hand account of being captured and forcibly conscripted at age 12 to be a child soldier until age 15 when he is released to UNICEF.

Papillon (1969)

Veracity of French man's story of wrongful conviction of murder, sentence to life of hard labour at Devil's Island penal colony, and eventual escape to Venezuela has been questioned.